Corn-popper.



PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907.

J. HODGE.

001m POPPER. I AIPPLIOATION FILED MAY 22, 1906.

IVS.

rm: NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, n. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORN-POPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

A-pplication May 22, 1906- Serial N0. 318,22L

To of whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES Hones, a citizen of the United States,residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California,have invented a new and useful Corn-Popper, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to a cornpopping machine in which the feedof the grains to be popped and the discharge of the popped corn can bemaintained continuous without requiring the popper to be removed fromthe source of heat for charging and emptying the popper, as is necessarywith machines in common use.

The objects of the invention are to provide a popper of this characterwhich shall be of simple and durable construction, inexpensive tomanufacture, and efiicient in operation.

With these ends in view the invention comprises the various details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, to be more fully describedhereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appendedhereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of theinvention, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the popper.Fig. 2 is a view of the crank end thereof, and Figs. 3 and 4 aretransverse sections taken respectively on lines 3 3 and 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout bysimilar characters of reference. 4

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the popping drum or cylinderhaving tin or sheet metal heads 2 and 3 and a cylindrical wall 4, whichmay be made of tin or sheet metal with or without perforations or ofwire-netting of suitable gage. The heads 2 and 3 are each flanged aroundthe periphery, so as to receive the ends of the cylindricalscreennetting 4 and to which the ends of the latter are suitablysecured. The front head 2 has a central opening 5 around the edgesthereof. The head is expanded outwardly to form a mouth into which thedischarge end of the hopper 6 extends. The hopper is supportedstationary in proper relation to the mouth of the drum by any suitablemeansas, for instance, the wall 7 of the inclosing casing.

Arranged centrally of the drum and extending with its axis parallel tothe latter is a discharge-cone 8. The larger or discharge end of thecone extends beyond the rear head 3 on the popper-drum, the said endextending through an opening 9 in the rear head. The front end of thedischarge-cone is located in suitable proximity to the front head 2,that sufiicient clearance be provided between the end of the cone andthe discharge end of the hopper, so that the grains of corn can passfreely into the drum without entering the discharge-cone. The front endof the dischargecone may be and preferably is provided with a head 8 soas to prevent the corn from entering the same from the hopper. The rearend of the discharge-cone is supported by the opening 9 in the rear head3, in which it is snugly fitted, while the front end is supported by aframe comprising two crossarms 10, secured to and extending inwardlyfrom the inner surface of the front head 2 of the drum. The front end ofthe dischargecone is provided with four slots 11, which are spacedninety degrees apart to receive the cross-arms 10.

The drum and discharge-cone are rotated by the crank 13, and the crankis connected to the drum by means of the cross-arms 14, secured to thehead 2, and the cross-arms 10. At the point where the cross-arms crosseach other. they are provided with registering openings to receive theshaft 15, to which the crank-arm is attached. The shaft also extendsthrough an opening in the head 8 and is rigidly connected to thecross-arms and said head by means of nuts 16. Obviously any otherconstruction which is inexpensive and substantial may be employed forconnecting the shaft to the drum and cone.

As shown in Fig. 4, the discharge-cone is spiral in transverse section,so that the adjacent edges 17 and 18 form a longitudinal mouth forreceiving thepopped corn. The spiral of the cone is made up of a singleturn, and extending from the edge 17, substantially as a continuation ofthe spiral, is a screen or separating member 19, that is of suitablegage to permit the unpopped corn to pass through its meshes, butprevents the popped corn from passing therethrough. The outer edge 20 ofthe screen is connected to the inner surface of the drum. Along theinner edge 18 of the discharge-cone the metal is turned back on areversed curve to form a longitudinal trough or retainer 21; that servesto collect the unpopped grains of corn that fail to pass through thescreen 19 and drop off the same during the revolution of the popper.

When the trough reaches a certain position in the revolution, theunpopped corn will fall out toward the bottom of the hopper, so that itwill be further heated and popped, or fall through the screen 19 backinto the drum. As shown in Fig. 1, the front end of the discharge-cone8, and hence the front end of the longitudinal mouth thereof, is locatedsomewhat to the rear of the front end or head 2 of the drum. In orderthen to. deflect the top corn at the front end of the drum into themouth of the disoharge-cone, an inwardly-inclined deflector 21, Figs. 1and 4., is provided that extends from the front edge of the screen 19 tothe front end of the discharge-cone. This may be a portion of the screen19 turned inwardly therefrom in the manner shown or it may be a separatemember secured between the screen and the discharge-cone.

Surrounding the drum 1 and affording a suitable mounting therefor is theinclosing casing 22, made in two parts and divisible on the horizontalplane passing through the axis of rotation of the drum. These two parts23 and 24 are hinged together at one side, as in dicated at 25, and arelocked together by a hook or other device 26 on the opposite side. Thebase-section 23 is preferably rectangular in shape and is open at itsbottom, so that the popper can be placed over a flame or other suitablesource of heat. The top section 24 is preferably semicylindrical andclosely conforms to the crosssection of the drum. Provided on the topsection is a handle or bail 27, whereby the hopper is easily carried.The drum is mounted in the inclosing casing by means of theoutwardly-extending flanged portion 28 of the mouth 5, which forms onejournal, and by means of the rear end of the discharge-cone. The frontend of the inclosing casing 22 is provided with a central opening 29,that forms a journal-bearing for the journal or portion 28, while therear end of the casing is provided with an opening 30, that forms ajournalbearing receiving the rear end of the discharge-cone. This end ofthe dischargecone projects sufficiently to the rear of the casing sothat a suitable receptacle can be placed thereunder to receive thepopped corn.

In order to insure a quick feed of the popped corn through thedischarge-cone, the latter is provided with a screw 31, as clearly shownin Fig. 1. This screw is preferably made of sheet metal and is shaped toconform to the cone, so that the same can be inserted into the cone fromthe enlarged endthereof and be frictionally held therein. The screw ishence removable, and the hopper can be used with or without the same, asdesired. To prevent an intense flame from burning the corn, a fine gauze32 is arranged under the drum, with its edges secured to the casing 23.

The operation is as follows: According to the disposition of the partsas illustrated in the present case the popper is adapted to be turnedclockwise or in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4. The cornto be popped is fed to the popper through the hopper 6, and the crank 13is next turned. The grains of corn roll along on the inner surface ofthe druma number of times, passing freely through the screen 19 untilthey are sufiiciently heated to pop. As the mixture of popped andunpopped corn again reaches its screen 19 the popped corn is separatedthereby, while the unpopped grains pass freely through the screen andare subjected to further heat until they are finally popped. The poppedcorn that is separated by this screen rolls along the. inner surface ofthe screen and enters the mouth of the dischargecone. From the cone thepopped corn gradually passes out of the open end thereof as thecorn-moves freely to the discharge end by reason of the outwardexpansion of the cone and the rotation of the latter. It will thus beseen that the popping operation can go on continuously without any ofthe unpopped grains of corn being discharged with that which is popped.

I have described the prlnci le of operation of the invention, togetherwitli the apparatus which I now consider to'be the best embodimentthereof; but I' desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown ismerely illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by othermeans.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A corn-poppercomprising a casing having central openings at its ends, a drum mountedin the casing and having a feedmouth extending into one of the openingsof the casing to form a journal for the drum, a hopper supported on thecasing and arranged with its lower end extending into the mouth of thedrum, a discharge-cone sup orted in the drum and extending outward ytherefrom through the opening of the casing opposite from that havingthe feed-mouth, crossarms rigidly connected with the drum and cone, anda cra11kshaft rigidly connected with the cross-arm and extendingoutwardly through the feed-mouth.

2. A corn-popper comprising a casing hav ing an opening, a drum having atubular central feed-mouth in its front head extending into the openingof the casing to form a journal, a hopper arranged to discharge intosaid mouth, a cone for discharging the popped corn which at one end issupported by the rear head of the drum, a frame supported on theinterior of the drum at the front head thereof, means for connecting thefront end of the cone with said frame, and a crankshaft comiected withsaid frame for rotating the drum and cone and located wholly exterior tothe drum.

3. A corn-popper comprising a drum having a central mouth in its fronthead, a hopper arranged to discharge into said mouth, a discharge-conesupported at one end by the rear head of the drum and provided withslots in its front end, and cross-arms extending inwardly from the innersurface of the front head of the drum, and engaging in said slots,

a crank-shaft, means for connecting the shaft to the arms, cross-armssecured to the front head of the drum which are independent of thefirst-mentioned cross-arms, and means for connecting the crank-shaftwith the lastmentioned cross-arms.

4. A corn-popper comprising a drum, a discharge-cone axially mountedtherein with its front end spaced apart from the adjacent end of thedrum, a separating-screen extending between the cone and drum anddisposed axially of the latter, and a deflector extending between theadjacent ends of the cone and drum for deflecting the popped corn intothe former.

5. A corn-popper comprising a drum having a central mouth in its fronthead, a hopper arranged to discharge into said mouth, a cone fordischarging the popped corn which has its front end spaced apart fromthe front head of the drum, and a screen extending between the drum andcone and provided with an inwardly-extending ortion between the saidhead and front on of the cone for defleeting the popped corn into thelatter.

6. A corn-popper comprising a drum provided with an opening at its frontend, an outwardly-extending cylindrical member at said opening whichforms a mouth and a journal, a discharge-cone in the drum which extendsbeyond the opposite end of the latter to form a journal, means forrotating the drum, and means for supporting the front end of the cone inthe drum, in combination with an inclosing casing provided with openingswhich serve as journal-bearings for re ceiving the said cylindricalmember and the projecting end of the discharge-cone;

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES HODGE.

Witnesses:

J. J. BENTON, O. H. MoCoY.

